Method and apparatus for mounting a plumbing fixture

ABSTRACT

A method for mounting a toilet bowl on a bathroom floor by attaching a hold-down ring to the floor with a pair of threaded studs projecting through and above appropriate openings in the toilet bowl flange. A nut having a blind hole is mounted on each stud and then screwed down with the stud to attach the toilet bowl to the hold-down ring flange.

[4 1 Sept. 16, 1975 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING A PLUIVIBINGFIXTURE [76] Inventor: Costanzo DeAngelis, 23720 Glenn St., Westland,Mich. 48185 [22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 431,075

[52] US. Cl 4/252 R; 4/68; 285/56; 285/58 [51] Int. Cl. E03D 11/00; EO3D11/13 [58] Field of Search 4/252 R, 68, 170; 285/31, 285/32, 56, 58, 61,62, 63, 189, 192

2,942,277 6/1960 Manas 4/252 R 3,251,073 5/1966 Rawson.... 4/252 R3,311,391 3/1967 Harrell..... 285/58 3,323,143 6/1967 Pope..... 4/252 R3,339,215 9/1967 Flood.... 4/252 R 3,579,670 5/1971 Frank 4/252 RPrimary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney, Agent, or F irmCharles W.Chandler 5 7 ABSTRACT A method for mounting a toilet bowl on a bathroomfloor by attaching a hold-down ring to the floor with a pair of threadedstuds projecting through and above appropriate openings in the toiletbowl flange. A nut having a blind hole is mounted on each stud and thenscrewed down with the stud to attach the toilet bowl to the hold-downring flange.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing'Figures [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS1,291,041 1/1919 Lumsden 2-85/56 1,548,850 8/1925 Rudolph 285/562,932,037 4/1960 Mamas 4/252 R BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention is related to methods andlap paratus for attaching a toiletbowl to a bathroom floor, and more particularlyto a novel fast eningapparatus in which the hold-down studs are screwed down intoan openingin the floor in order to'attach the toilet bowl to a hold-down flangemounted in the floor opening.

The conventional practice for mounting a toilet bowl to a bathroom flooris to form a floor opening in which a plastic hold-down ring is seated.The ring has a flange, and a tubular body connected to a drain pipe. Apair of screws are disposed on opposite sides of the floor opening so asto project up through the flange. The toilet bowl is mounted on thescrews and then a nut is manipulated downward on each screw until thetoilet bowl is securely fastened to the hold-down ring. Normally theupper end of each screw extends above its respective nut. This upper endof the screw is then cut off by the workman to provide a neatappearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The broad purpose of this invention is toeliminate the necessity of cutting off the excess length of thehold-down screwsv The preferred embodiment of the invention provides afloor opening beneath each holddown screw which is then screwed with theupper nut down into the floor opening as the toilet bowl is beingfastened to the floor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means forfrictionally supporting the hold-down screw or stud in a raised abovethe floor opening until the top hold-down nut is mounted on the upperend of the stud.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description refers to the accompanyingdrawing in which like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a conventional toilet bowl mounted on a bathroomfloor in accordance with the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the hole formed in the floor in ac cordance with thepreferred method;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the manner in which aconventional holddown ring is mounted in the floor opening;

FIG. 4 is a top opening of the hold-down ring;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating one of the hold-down studs mounted toreceive its upper hold-down nut; and

FIGv 6 is a view illustrating the final position of the hold-down studsas they fasten the toilet bowl to the floor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to drawings, aconventional toilet bowl 10 is mounted on the floor 12 of a bathroom. Inthe preferred method. a circular opening 14 is formed in floor 12 with apair of grooves 16 and 18 on opposite sides of the opening. Referring toFIG. 3, conventional plastic floor mounted flange or hold-down ring 20is illus .-trated as having a tubular body 22 disclosed in opening 14,and a flange 24 seated'on the floor about opening 1 l4.As'iliustrated-i'n FIG. 4, four threaded'fasteners 26 attach ring 20 tofloor 1-2 in the conventional manner. Flange 24 has a pair of elongatedopenings 28 and 30 disposed above grooves 16 and '18, respectively; Itis to 1 benoted that flange 24 has an integral ridge 32 adjacent each ofthe openings 28 and 30.

Referring toFIG. 5, anelongatedmetal stud 34 is disposed in opening 28.A 'flat' nut 36 is threadibly mounted on the lower end of stud 34engaged with ridge 32. Ridge 32 prevents nut 36 from being rotated asstud 34 is being rotated.

A friction member 38 preferably formed of a rubber washer is mounted onstud 34 above flange 20. Member 38 has an inner diameter frictionallyengaging stud so that when in contact with upper flange 24, the frictionmember prevents the stud from falling downwardly through opening 16, andalso retains nut 36 engaged with ridge 32 until the user can mount a nuton the upper end of the stud. A second stud 34 and friction member isalso mounted in opening 30. The toilet bowl is then mounted on ring 20so that appropriate openings in toilet bowl flange 40 receive the twostuds.

Referring to FIG. 6, a nut 42 is then mounted on the upper end of eachof the studs 34. Nut 42 has a blind opening so that it can be seated onthe extreme upper end of the stud. The nut and the stud are then rotateddownwardly until the nut engages a metal washer 44 on flange 40 of thetoilet bowl so that both the toilet bowl flange and the hold-down ringflange are clamped tightly between upper nuts 42 and lower nuts 36. Whenboth of the nuts 42 have been attached to their respective studs, thetoilet bowl flange is then firmly attached to floor 12 as well as to thehold-down ring 20.

Thus it can be seen that any excess length of stud 34 is disposed in theopening beneath the hold-down ring thereby obviating the necessity oftrimming the excess length as is required in the conventional practice,

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A plumbing assembly, comprising:

a support having an opening;

a hold-down ring having a body mounted in said support opening and aflange seated on the support about the opening, the flange having aflange openmg;

a plumbing fixture mounted on the support, said plumbing fixture havingan opening adjacent said flange opening;

an elongated threaded member disposed in the flange opening and thefixture opening such that an upper end of the threaded member is abovethe fixture opening and the opposite, lower end of the threaded memberbelow the flange opening;

a lower nut mounted on the threaded member beneath the flange;

first means carried by the flange for engaging the lower nut to preventits rotation as the threaded member is being rotated;

a washer mounted on the threaded member between the plumbing fixture andthe flange, and frictional means carried by the washer and engaging thethreaded member to prevent passage thereof through the flange openingexcept by rotation thereof, said washer being slidably movable withrespect to the threaded member as it is being rotated about itslongitudinal axis whereby the between said flange and the upper nut.

3. A plumbing fixture assembly as defined in claim 1, in which the uppernut has a blind hole and the threaded member is threadibly mounted insaid blind hole.

4. A plumbing fixture assembly as defined in claim 1, in which theflange has a ridge engageable with the lower nut to prevent itsrotation.

1. A plumbing assembly, comprising: a support having an opening; ahold-down ring having a body mounted in said support opening and aflange seated on the support about the opening, the flange having aflange opening; a plumbing fixture mounted on the support, said plumbingfixture having an opening adjacent said flange opening; an elongatedthreaded member disposed in the flange opening and the fixture openingsuch that an upper end of the threaded member is above the fixtureopening and the opposite, lower end of the threaded member below theflange opening; a lower nut mounted on the threaded member beneath theflange; first means carried by the flange for engaging the lower nut toprevent its rotation as the threaded member is being rotated; a washermounted on the threaded member between the plumbing fixture and theflange, and frictional means carried by the washer and engaging thethreaded member to prevent passage thereof through the flange openingexcept by rotation thereof, said washer being slidably movable withrespect to the threaded member as it is being rotated about itslongitudinal axis whereby the washer is operative to prevent separationof the lower nut from said first means; and an upper nut so mounted onthe upper end of the threaded member as to be operative to be rotatedwith the threaded member whereby said hold-down ring flange and theplumbing fixture are clamped together between said upper nut and saidlower nut.
 2. A plumbing assembly as defined in claim 1, including ametal washer mounted on the threaded member between said flange and theupper nut.
 3. A plumbing fixture assembly as defined in claim 1, inwhich the upper nut has a blind hole and the threaded member isthreadibly mounted in said blind hole.
 4. A plumbing fixture assembly asdefined iN claim 1, in which the flange has a ridge engageable with thelower nut to prevent its rotation.